Publicaties

The history of food adulteration and fraud and attempts at their control from the Middle Ages to date is traced for Belgium and for the UK with special reference to butter and margarine. The development of analytical procedures for the authentication of milk fat is outlined, from those based on the characterisation of fatty acids derived from milk fat in the nineteenth century to chromatographic methods in the next century and the recent rapid ...

This paper explores the extent to which Delhaize Le Lion, Belgium's first and largest food chain store, exploited the semiotic potential of architecture to construct a brand identity and to ensure visibility and recognition in a modern urban context. By using photographs and building plans as primary sources, the article analyzes the store front design in order to gain insight in the social values and cultural categories that are embedded ...

In characterizing the genetically manipulated (GM) food controversy as a risk conflict between different social groups with competing interests, the research question of this paper is which interpretive frames are found to be employed in the struggle over meaning in this conflict. In so doing, this paper not only answers the recent call to attend to the relationship between framing processes and issues of social and political power, but also ...

Seafood is an important component of the human diet. With depleting fish stocks and increasing prices, seafood is prone to fraudulent substitution. DNA barcoding has illustrated fraudulent substitution of fishes in retail and restaurants. Whether substitution also occurs in other steps of the supply chain remains largely unknown. DNA barcoding relies on public reference databases for species identification, but these can contain incorrect ...

Agricultural cooperatives are seen as an efficient way for smallholder farmers to create bargaining power in order to achieve poverty reduction and food security. However, the success of these cooperatives depends on their ability to maintain their social capital, which is at the core of collective action. A few studies have addressed issues of member participation, commitment, and trust, yet less is known about rural cooperatives in developing ...

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. The current research investigates a potential disadvantage of building brand associations that resonate with consumers’ identities and facilitate consumer–brand bonding. The authors propose a theory of consumer response to changes that either dampen or augment the associations central to brand image (e.g., due to brand acquisitions or repositioning). The results show that consumers with a high degree of self–brand connection ...

Woodframe construction is the most widespread building method. In Belgium the number of wood frame buildings has grown in the last years: in 2018over 10% of all new built dwellings were wood frame buildings. This increase can be partly attributed to the growing attention for energy performant buildings with a low environmental impact.In contrary to masonry construction, wood frame is more vulnerable to moisture problems, ...